UGCC Develops Pastoral Work for Ukrainian Emigrants

Thursday, 08 May 2008 05:59

08.05.2008, [11:17] // UGCC // RISU.ORG.UA

Pastoral work for Ukrainian emigrants requires special pastoral program. This was the conclusion of Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna), Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Italy, Spain and Ireland, after his stay during Passion Week and Easter in Spain. "The lack of catechetical programs is sharply felt for the faithful, and not only children and youth,” Bishop Hlib told the Information Department.“Plenty of people did not receive a basic religious education in their young days and live only with what they managed to learn in church during services. But if you ask them why they believe, they will not be able to explain. However, the external circumstances of immigrants’ life do not allow priests or catechists to give them more religious formation, because mainly they have a day off only on weekends." RISU’s Ukrainian-language web page posted this story on 6 May, 2008.

"If our Church in Spain will not only exist but also develop, special attention needs to be paid to the younger generation, to find a method to educate them, for the Church to embrace them, to connect in Ukrainian communities. One concrete answer, although a minimum, is the organization of summer camps (this year the parish of Madrid is organizing such a camp in cooperation with the Patriarchal Catechetical Commission), because during this time it is possible to join children and strengthen their Christian upbringing," explained the Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Italy, Spain and Ireland. According to Bishop Hlib, there are other pastoral services for work with our migrant workers: visiting the sick in hospitals, prisoners in prisons, families in homes. Also the faithful value pilgrimages to Lourdes, Fatima, Montserrat, in fact they unite people, assist in communication.

During the 10 days of his stay in Spain, Bishop Hlib visited 12 settlement areas (Valencia, Gandia, the village of Guadasuara, Alikanta, Torevecha, Granada, Seville, Uelva, Kherry de la Fronteri, Villarobledi, Toledo and Madrid), where he celebrated divine services and preached to the faithful of the UGCC in this country. In addition to this, the bishop had meetings with the local Catholic bishops, whom on these occasions he thanked for assistance in improving pastoral care for the faithful of the UGCC. On Easter day the Apostolic Visitator for Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Italy, Spain, and Ireland celebrated festive Liturgies in Villarobledo, Alkala, De Benaresi (a suburb of Madrid), and in the capital, in which in total approximately 2500 faithful took part. On Easter Monday Bishop Hlib returned to Lviv.

Information Department of the UGCC